Crimea was represented by Prime Minister Sergey Aksenov and
Sevastopol mayor Aleksey Chaly, who signed the treaty. The two
were accompanied by Crimean top official Vladimir Konstantinov.

“Since the adoption of the Russian Federation Republic of
Crimea in structure of the Russian Federation two new entities -
of the Republic of Crimea and the city of Federal importance
Sevastopol – have been created,” the text of the treaty
reads.

The Treaty enumerates 10 articles which will come into effect
after ratification.

Russia will guarantee that the people who live in Crimea and
Sevastopol will be given the right to keep their native language
as well as the means and conditions for learning it.

Thus, article 3 of the treaty stands that there will be three
official languages in Crimea and Sevastopol: Ukrainian, Russian
and the language of Crimean Tatars.

Starting from the day of accession, the people of Crimea and
Sevastopol are considered as Russian citizens, according to
Article 5.

As it was agreed, the transition period will be acting till
January 1, 2015. During this time, both sides will resolve the
issues of integration of the new subjects “in the economic,
financial, credit and legal system of the Russian
Federation.”Crimea has already officially introduced the ruble as a
second currency along with the Ukrainian hryvna, which will
remain an official currency until January 1, 2016.

National elections to the state bodies of the Republic of Crimea
and Sevastopol have been slated for September 2015.

Until then the now acting Parliament of Crimea and the Council of
Ministers of Crimea as well as the Legislative Assembly of the
city of Sevastopol will continue their work.

The document will be sent for approval to the constitutional
court, and then to ratification in the parliaments of Russia and
Crimea.

Russian lawmakers will meet with a parliamentary delegation from
Crimea and Sevastopol on March 19 to review strategic aspects of
cooperation, including "the prospects for the political and
financial establishment of the Republic of Crimea."

"A number of lawmakers will meet with our colleagues from
Crimea and Sevastopol at 10:30 local time (0630 GMT)," said
the speaker of the lower house of Russia's parliament, Sergey
Naryshkin.

Treaty signing came after President Putin’s address to the
Federal Assembly.

Putin stressed that the results of the referendum, in which more
than 83 percent of Crimean residents came to polling stations and
more than 96 percent of those voted for rejoining Russia, leave no room for
equivocation.

The referendum on independence in Crimea was conducted in strict
accordance with democratic principles and international law, he
pointed out. He dismissed criticism of the Crimean referendum,
citing Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of
independence as an example of self-determination praised by the
West.

The president recalled the history of Crimea, saying its
cultural, religious and spiritual ties bind it with the peoples
of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, which explains the attitude
Russians have towards the peninsula.

"There are graves of Russian soldiers on the peninsula whose
courage enabled Russia to make Crimea part of the Russian Empire
in 1783," Putin said. "Russians, Ukrainians and Crimean
Tatars and other peoples lived side by side in Crimea preserving
their originality, traditions, language and religion."

He said Crimea had dark pages in its past, particularly the
persecution of Crimean Tatars and other minorities in the USSR.
The authorities of Crimea seek to recompense for those ills.

"There was the period, where the Crimean Tatars experienced
injustice· It is necessary to adopt political, legal measures to
finalise the process of rehabilitation of the Crimean Tatars. The
measures should restore their rights, their good name
fully," Putin said.

One such move would be accepting the language of Crimean Tatars
as an official language in Crimea on a par with Russian and
Ukrainian.

Putin lashed out at former Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev,
under whose rule Crimea was attached to Soviet Ukraine without
any regard for Crimeans’ wishes and in violation of the laws of
the time.

Crimean separation from Russia was reinforced again after the
split of the Soviet Union, Putin said. This could be partially
blamed on Moscow too, as it hailed the so-called “parade of
sovereignty” of the Soviet Republics.

Russia has since respected the results of the USSR’s dissolution,
including Crimea being part of Ukraine.

Russia’s position was based on the assumption that Ukraine would
remain a friendly partner respecting the historic ties between
the two countries. Russia continues and will continue to view
these relations as very important, the president said.

Putin criticized several governments in Kiev for neglecting
average Ukrainians, seeing the country as a source of profit.

He said he sympathized with Ukrainians who took to the streets of
Kiev in protest against President Yanukovich, whom they saw as
profoundly corrupt.

But the current authorities who replaced Yanukovich after an
armed coup are to a large degree controlled by radical
nationalists, Putin stated.

Those same radicals have voiced threats against Ukrainians who
resist their rule, particularly those living in Crimea.

Turning a blind eye to those threats and the moves of the current
authorities, which violated the rights of ethnic Russians in
Ukraine, would be betrayal on the part of Russia, Putin said.